Valik, Aurelia, Malgorrak, Belroar, and Ophelia all close the distance between them and the minotaur. Quickly recovering from nearly being impaled, Aurelia concentrates for a few moments and Belroar grows large in size. Moadis slings another stone at the minotaur and cracks it in the ribs, while Melufiuos' arrow fails to pierce its target.
Large enough to ford the river on foot, the minotaur crosses over and attacks the most menacing looking of his opponents within his large reach, Malgorrak. Thanks to the magical armor encasing the eidolon's body, the battleaxe is unable to find purchase.
Initiative (Round 3)
Janira (Stabilized)
Minotaur
Ophelia <= UP
Valik <= UP
Aurelia <= UP
Melufiuos <= UP
Moadis <= UP
Belroar (1 dmg) <= UP
Effects
Inspire Courage (All PC's): +1 morale bonus on saves vs. charm and fear effects, a +1 competence bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls.
Shepherd bonus (All PC's): +2 insight bonus on a single check made to perform the aid another action in the next 24 hours.
Farmer bonus (All PC's): +1 luck bonus on Fortitude saves against poison for 24 hours
Tailor bonus (All PC's): +1 bonus on a single attack roll made against a flanked target within 24 hours.
Fisherman bonus (All PC's): +2 insight bonus on a single combat maneuver check made over the next
Mage Armor (Valik, Malgorrak): +4 Armor bonus to AC.
Enlarge Person (Belroar – 10 Rounds): large sized, +2 size bonus to Strength, –2 size penalty to Dexterity, and –1 penalty on attack rolls and AC.
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With all the blasted undergrowth in the way, Malgorrak is unable to move carefully--but he needs to engage the minotaur post-haste. With a guttural snarl the devil lunges at the anthropomorphic bull, sinking his enormous fangs into the even more enormous cow leg. The devil takes a few moments to chew, savouring the taste of its flesh.
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Meanwhile, his timid mistress is busy relocating herself behind an even further away tree. Her hair is now made completely of a stream of dancing fire, and her perfectly manicured fingernails blacken like charcoal. Aurelia reaches for the magic inside of her and flings it at their aggressor.
"πίσσα!" she shouts, gesturing at the minotaur's enormous axe. From her fingertips slips a pool of filthy black tar, slippery and slimy and reeking as it splashes all over the weapon.
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It worked.
Dropping his sling Moadis moves forward while drawing his hammer and approuching the beast.
It worked. Dropping his sling Moadis moves forward while drawing his hammer and the gillman's wand until reaching Ophalia's side.
Ophalia, can you use the gillman's wand? He says offering it to her.
Moadis moves adjacent to Ophelia and offers her the use of the Wand of Shield of Faith.
Aurelia casts a Grease spell, coating the battleaxe which then slips out of the minotaur's hand.
When Malgorrak closes to attack, the eidolon leaves an opening for the minotaur to gore him with his horns. Mal takes some serious injury.
Perhaps spurred on by the pain, Malgorrak bites deep into the minotaur's leg in retribution.
Despite the distraction from Malgorrak, Valik is unable to land a punch on the minotaur
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Hindered by the undergrowth and not particularly eager to engage this thing in close combat, Mel advances slowly . Although tempted to fire another arrow, the magus remembers his training and chooses to instead cast a spell. Hoping he still outside the reach of the monster, he pulls forth some colored powers and flings them into the air. Instantly, a great blast of clashing colors form a cone that reaches the minotaur.
Melufiuos blasts the minotaur with a rainbow of disorienting colors, stunning the creature.
Double XL Belroar then finishes it off with a swing of his currently enormous greatsword. The minotaur falls to the ground, unconscious and dying.
The magus stabs the minotaur a few times with a rapier which abruptly stops its breathing.
Belroar and Melufiuos both reach the unconscious, but alive body of Janira. She's seen better days and is in need of some serious healing. It's a good thing the group found a healing wand in her bag earlier in the day.
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Malgorrak lets out a fierce roar of anger as the half-orc takes out his prey beside him. With blood covering his maw and claws, his eyes flashing red and his bloodlust not yet sated, the devil turns to Belroar with a vicious and cruel smile... but at that moment, Aurelia steps out of her hiding spot behind a tree.
"όχι!" She commands him, and the devil stops mid-lunge. "Δεν θα του κάνει κακό!" Aurelia clutches the fiery globe around her neck and whispers one more word, "εξαφανίσου." Fire envelops the pit fiend before abruptly winking out of existence. The glowing sigils on Aurelia also wink out at the same time.
The Chelaxian woman turns to Belroar with some dismay. "I am so sorry," she says with an apologetic bob of her head. "He's never done that before..."
Aurelia makes her way across the river, carefully balancing on the log across it, although she can't do much to help the poor halfling.
The healing power of Pharasma flows through Ophelia and into Janira. The halfling awakes with a start, “As Durvin Gest, exe...," Janira begins to orate in confusion before coming to her senses, eyes sweeping the scene and noting the dead minotaur across the river. ”Oh you saved my life! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She says with profuse gratitude, standing up quickly. ”If you ever need any help with you missions, please come to me. I owe you all! I'll be sure to tell the three Masters of your heroism, there's no doubt in mind whatsoever.”
Janira pauses then looks over at the cave entrance, ”So, what did you find you in there? Were you able to make sense of it?”
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Belroar soon returns to normal size.
He nods and smiles at Janira, adding his parts to the retelling of the story.
After the story is told, he says, "Do you think we can learn more about the cave if we go back or is it just a place the gillmen come to worship? We didn't really seem to find these mysterious ones that are trying to kill the gillmen, right?"
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Valik will rush over, carefully crossing the log as not to drench himself. He is one of the last to get to Janira but breathes a sigh of relief when she is upright and conscious again. He ponders whether to return to the cave or not and looks towards her fir guidance in the matter.
I agree with Belroar, we have yet to find out about the gillman, will the Society deem what we have done satisfactory to their wishes?
"It is your Confirmation, so I leave it up to the group, although I sure you've done enough to pass!" Janira replies, clearly happy to be alive and pleased with the group's success.
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Mel shivers internally at the thought of having to face that gillman again. Instead, he offers up "I'm actually more interested in what's up with that minotaur. He seemed pretty hell bent on killing you and then all of us. Are they normally that disagreeable?"
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Aurelia smiles to see Janira back up on her feet, but then realises that she's being happy about the welfare of a halfling and so politely coughs and swallows that emotion completely.
"I took quite a number of notes about the shrine of Aroden," she says to the group, "which I think is far more interesting than the whims of some silly fish-person. I am sure the Society will be quite happy to reward us with a job well done with just this."
Also, Aurelia thinks to herself, I have been far too long without a bath already!
"The minotaurs in this area around the Kortos Mount can be quite disagreeable, since they're constantly vying for territory with the local centaurs and harpies. I can't really speculate about the race as a whole, though." Janira answers Melufiuos, "Be glad it was a minotaur and not a harpy! There's not a reasonable one in the bunch."
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"Well, back to Absalom or not doesn't matter to me. The gillman was helpful, as much as he could be and there's the chance for more battle, which would please Gorum. Or the Society could have another mission for us, which may be even more battle filled."
Belroar's eyes glint with the thought of battle.
Janira scratches her head, "I'm not sure what you guys want to do. It sounds like you're evenly split or don't care. You all should probably decide soon, if we wait out here too long the minotaur might have friends out looking for him!"
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Aurelia's surprised to hear this line of questioning, and she momentarily stares at Mel, rather stunned.
"... No," she admits finally. "He's badly injured, and wouldn't be of much use anyway. And I'm concerned he may hurt people in the state he's in."
"But don't worry," Aurelia adds with a smirk, "I have plenty of other tricks up my sleeve... I don't have to rely on his strength."
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"Damm... he was pretty handy to have around. But yeah, gotta keep the magic under control. 'Less is more', my Ma used to say. Ya know, I actually thought I was going to get into swinging range with that monster back there. Kinda glad I didn't, though, he could have cleaved me in two. I've never met a summoner before. I look forward to peaking up your sleeves..."
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After that last statement, he disengages with a slight blush. "So Bel, killing makes your god happy? And Opy's god is pretty death-ish too, right? Y'all must get along great. Going off of what Ope just said, how would your two religions make a peace offering to someone from another religion? Like maybe, should we take the minotaur's head and a few of the heads of the bugs from the fight earlier and bring them to that fish dude? Ya know, let him know things are a bit safer now?"
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"Perhaps the sleeves-looking can wait for when we return to Absalom and have some... spare time," the young summoner murmurs back to Mel, a devious twinkle to her eyes.
Overhearing Ophelia's muttering, Aurelia rolls her eyes. Oh how these poor people misunderstand what is but the most basic of facts... as ignorant as my parents, they are!
"A broken tool is useless to me," she says to Mel, but her eyes are looking over at the cleric. "And there's not much point to a domesticated beast that doesn't follow orders. That is all."
Moadis' comment makes her smile, though. "Make him resent it if you will. A tool is not allowed feelings on the matter, for they exist only to be used and nothing else. ... Maggy is as fitting a name as any." Aurelia pointedly ignores the flames in her necklace flaring up with anger as "Maggy" protests his new epithet.
Janira elects to wait for the party just inside the cave entrance to finish her notes, letting you complete the survey of the caverns on your own. The return trip is much the same, except the first part of the journey is easier because now you're moving on a decline rather than an incline. The strange bags of flesh are much as you left them, as are the dead ugly blue creatures and their pet insect.
After a bit of a walk, the group returns to the room containing the diorama of Absalom, but the gillman Uori is no longer present, nor is the cloak Melufiuos gave him. The only passage to explore then is to the east, and the party makes its way in that direction to finish exploring and check for Uori.
The cave’s damp air becomes increasingly stale as you continue down through the east tunnel, and before long becomes a clear stench of decay. You soon enter into a small, open cavern littered with bits of broken glass, rotting pieces of paper, and other unusable detritus. The body of a male dhampir lies facedown toward the back of the cavern.
Perhaps more of an immediate concern are the two skeletal figures and two ambulatory corpses standing in the room. They eerily turn their heads towards you and begin to lurch forward.
The walking corpses have the remains of rotting gills on their necks.
Initiative (Round 1)
Aurelia <= UP
Valik <= UP
Ophelia <= UP
Corpses
Skeletons
Belroar
Melufiuos
Moadis
Effects
Shepherd bonus (All PC's): +2 insight bonus on a single check made to perform the aid another action in the next 24 hours.
Farmer bonus (All PC's): +1 luck bonus on Fortitude saves against poison for 24 hours
Tailor bonus (All PC's): +1 bonus on a single attack roll made against a flanked target within 24 hours.
Fisherman bonus (All PC's): +2 insight bonus on a single combat maneuver check made over the next
Mage Armor (Valik): +4 Armor bonus to AC.
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Valik, moving into the area, takes a swig from his waterskin to keep hydrated due to the stake air. He stops abruptly when his companions in front of him halt. He peers forward and drops his water and walks forward to address the foes, while speaking.
Remember everyone, we are stronger then our enemy. We will work as a team.
AC = 16
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The foul-smelling air has long left Aurelia with a grimace, and as they progress further into the caves she draws out a handkerchief and covers her nose. Shortly thereafter, they turn a corner to come face-to-face with undead abominations... ugh!
"Time for those tricks to come in handy," she mutters, voice muffled by the handkerchief. With one hand she gestures in the air, raising her voice in supplication to otherwordly powers yet again. Ahead of Valik, a fiery summoning circle abruptly apparates into existence, and then with a flash of red light spits out her choice of attendant. Standing there on the ground is a red-feathered eagle, its eyes glowing with orange light and curved devil horns twisting back from its head. It screeches as it flaps into the air and lashes its talons over the skeleton, before snapping its beak right through a particularly weak bone.
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HP: 5/5 || AC: 14, touch: 13, flat-footed: 12 || CMD: 11 || Fort: +3, Ref: +4, Will: +2 || Resist cold 5, fire 5 || Perception: +9, darkvision 60 ft.
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Ophelia sighs at the new apparent nickname. "My Lady is the goddess of death, yes. But she cares not for murder, as that is Norgorber's domain. Nor is she concerned with battle, as Gorum. She is the final arbiter - all who live must face her judgement. Whether they die in battle, of disease, peacefully... Everyone dies. And she will judge every soul, and send them to their eternity, to the reward or punishment they deserve. While an offering of a severed head may be appropriate for a devotee of Gorum, Pharasma cares not for such trivialities. She asks only that the cycle of life and death continue, as it always has, and always shall."
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Ophelia's eyes flash with hatred at the sight of the walking dead. "And when the cycle of life and death is perverted, my Lady demands that it be righted." She charges forward, pushing her way past Belroar, past Moadis and Valik, with little concern for her safety. She rips the holy symbol from her neck as she goes, her clenched fist already glowing with purple light, her free hand on her morningstar.
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Belroar smirks. "As Ophelia mentioned, Gorum is the god of battle. He cares not for which side wins, or even for the dead or dying. Just the battle itself. We battled, that is good, the care for the dead and the extreme hate for the undead is Pharasma's domain. I will relish the battle. I believe the honor in battle domain lives with Torag. But, I will fight with honor, as much as I can."
"Undead. Well..more battle."